Clock calendar



Aug. 4, 1925. I 1,548,772

e. M. VAN DYKE CLOCK CALENDAR Filed July 12. 1924 Swami/1. M11074:

Patented Aug. 4,- 1925.

Mud

GERALD MASON V1311 DYKE, T NTSTN, CHINA, ASSIGITOR OF ONE-THIRD T0 THOMAS J. IVIGNALL'F" AND GNE-TF 'ISIN, CHINA.

CLOCK CALENDAR.

Application filed July 12,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnnnilo M, VAN DYKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tientsin, China, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clock Calendars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clock calendars and has particular reference to a calendar adapted to be positioned in front of the face of a clock and carried thereby and equipped with means for registering the day and date of the month as the hour hand travels about the face of the clock.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a simply constructed mechanism co-operating with the clock mechanism and having associated therewith a calendar disc so that the dates of one entire month and the respective days of the week will. be readily visible to an observer and both can be viewed at the same time, thus assuring absolute accuracy at first glance so that the observer can positively identify the exact day of the week, date of the month. and the time.

An additional object is to provide a device of the character described which will require but a minimum amount of adjustment, a clock calendar which is economical to manufacture, positive in operation and readily applicable to standard types of clocks without materially altering the construction of the same.

1 Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate likeparts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the calendar disc,

Figure 2 is a detail view of the gear wheels and their associated mechanism forming a part of rny invention,

Figure 3 is an edge view of the same partly in section,

Figure 4: is a detail of the indicator or movable point showing its position with relation to the calendar disc, and

Figure 5 is a modified form of the arrangement of the gear wheels.

In the accompanying drawings wherein 1924. Serial No. 725,675.

for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the

numeral 5 designates a calendar disc which has formed thereon a spiral continuous groove 6 beginning from the point 7 adjacent the charactcr XII on the clock and terminating as at 8.

It will be noted that the calendar has disposed about its marginal edge characters ranging from I to XII to indicate the hours of the day and has spaced or ruled off sec tions 9 within which are displayed a set of numerals positioned in denominations of 7. The other characters thereon will be hereinafter referred to.

As disclosed to advantage in Figure 3, the numeral 11 designates the shaft which extends from the clock mechanism and has connected thereto a minute hand 12 and an hour hand 13, as is customary in clock construction. The hour hand has connected thereto and rearwardly thereof two gear wheels 14: and 15 having their teeth in turn meshing with an intermediately disposed cog wheel 16, in turn connected to the hour hand 13.

Fixed to the wheel 15 is an indicator shaft or wire 17 which has provided adjacent one of its ends a removable clamp 18 equipped with a needle 19 adapted to travel in the groove 6, from the point 7 to the point 8, about the face of the calendar. wheel 14 in turn, has connected thereto a small weight element 21 about one-eighth or one-fourth of an ounce in weight located adjacent the outer rim of the wheel 14: and always gravitating downwardly causing the part of the wheel on which it is located to remain as the lower partof the wheel and perpendicular to the pintle 22, by which the said wheel is connected to the hour hand.

It is to be noted that if this weightshould be discarded from the wheel 14: and all the wheels 14., 15 and 16 were perfectly balanced, the indicator wire and indicator would revolve in absolute co-ordination, at the same speed and in the same direction of the hour hand. However, by placing this weight element on the wheel 14: the said wheel is caused to set up a counter movement or force by actuation of the cog wheel 16 to turn clockwise, which, in turn, actuates the wheel 15 to turn apparently counter-clock wise.

Due to the fact that, in practice, the wheel The gear 1 14 is equipped with only ninety-one teeth and the wheel 15 with ninetyeight teeth, the wheel 14. with its weight. 21 sets up only a retarding action. Accordingly, where the wheel 14: would have made one complete rev olution of ninetyeight cogs at one turn of the hour hand with the weight on wheel l t eliminated, now with the weight on wheel 14;, wheel 15 is retarded by the counter force and movement of the wheel la, the distance of ninety-one teeth. Therefore, wheel 15 and its indicator wire 17 have been reduced thirteen fourteenths of the speed of the hour hand and thus the wheel 15 and the indicator fixed thereto travel only one-fourteenth as fast as the hour hand. It. will thus follow that when the hour hand moves two complete revolutions the indicator has made only one-seventh of a revolution which represents twenty-four hours or a distance between any of the lines 9 as shown to advantage in Figure 1.

The continuous groove during the movement of the wire or indicator hand 17, receives the needle 23 therein and in the course of the period of a month the movable point will complete the entire spiral travel in the groove and will terminate in its travel at the point 8 which is the end of the groove.

It will be observed that the indicaor point is loosely mounted on the indicator and is free to move backward and forward along the indicator toward the center of the dial as the groove gradually forces it towards the center in passing under the days of the week above referred to, thus registering the calendar day that can be readily observed.

In order that the days of the week may be ascertained, I have provided a dial 25 which has illustrated thereon abbreviations of the days of the week. This dial is loosely mounted on the shaft 11 and can be revolved by hand in either direction or may be revolved by use of any convenient rod (not shown) from. behind the clock.

In the modified form of the invention as disclosed to advantage in Figure 5, I have employed an extension on the hour hand as indicated by the numeral 26. On this extension I propose to position the wheel ll carrying the weight 21'and employed between the wheel 15 and the wheel let, the cog wheel. 16. These three elements namely, the wheels 14 and 16 and weight element 21 if made of the same weight as the fore-part of the hour hand will give perfect balance to the hour hand, thus relieving the said hour hand of its necessary power to carry these two wheels and weight around. This construction merely transposes the wheel 14: and the cog wheel 16, but the action of the wheels and weight element are the same as in the preferred form, as disclosed to advantage in.

Figures 1 and 2.

Referring now to Figure 1, it will be ob served that I have shown the abbreviations for April, June, September and November in one of the sections between the lines 9, which abbreviations are designated as AP,

JN, and NV and are herein indicated as a whole by the iiunneral These are the months which have thirty days, while the reference character F shown on the calendar indicates the month of Febri'iary with twenty-eight days and FL. for February of leap year having twenty nine days. Since all of the other months of the year have thirty-one days it is not necessary to set forth the said months.

It is to he noted that this clock calendar requires adjustment only once a month and in adjusting the ie the operation may be accomplished in a minimum amount of time by placing the operators linger on the wheel 15 and revolving it to the date on which the clock is being set. It is then only necessary to slide the indicator l8 and position the same in the groove just under the date desired. The dial on which the days of the week are located then revolved either to the right or to the left so that the proper day of the week is opposite the column containing the date where the indicator has just been set. The calendar is then placed in an operative position and will remain correct and register with absolute accuracy the days and dates of the week for the remaining part of the month.

In correcting the indicator from the last day of t ie month to the first day it is only necessary to revolve the wheel to counterclockwise approximately four complete revolntions which will can, the indicator to follow the cove from the point 8 to the point 7. Corrections of any degree can be made in a like manner.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention. herewith shown and, described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In combination with a clock or like time piece having a rotating shaft carrying an hour hand and a minute hand. of a disc simulating the face of a clock and having indicia thereon and mounted on the shaft of the clock, said disc having formed there on a spiral groove. a day dial freely rotatable on the clock shaft, gear mechanism connected to the hour hand and actuated by the movement thereof, a weightelemeut carried by said mechanism, an indicator wire connected to said mechanism. and means slidably mounted on said indicator wire and adapted to travel in the groove of the disc to indicate fixed calendar dates as the hour hand actuated by the clock shaft records fixed periods of time.

2. In combination with a clock or like time piece having a rotating shaft carrying an hour hand and minute hand, of a disc si1nulating the face of a clock and having indicia thereon and mounted on the shaft of the clock, said disc having formed thereon a spiral groove, a day dial freely rotatable on the clock shaft, gear mechanism connected to the hour hand and actuated by the movement thereof and including a pair of gear wheels in mesh with an intermediate cog wheel carried by the hour hand, a weight element carried by one of said wheels, an indicator wire connected to the other of said wheels, and means slidably mounted on said indicator wire and adapted to travel in the groove of the disc to indicate fixed calendar dates as the hour hand actuated by the clock shaft records fixed periods of time.

3. I11 combination with a clock or like time piece having a rotating shaft carrying an hour hand and a minute hand, of a disc simulating the face of a clock and having indicia thereon and mounted on the shaft of the clock mechanism, said disc having formed thereon a spiral groove, a day dial freely rotatable on said shaft, gear mechanism connected to the hour hand and actuated by the movement thereof, indicating means connected to said mechanism, a weight element carried by said mechanism and adapted to retard the movement of the :w

indicating means, said indicating means including a narrow wire having slidably mounted thereon a pointer adapted to travel in the groove of the disc to mdicate fixed calendar dates as the hour hand actuated by the clock shaft records fixed periods of time. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GERALD MASON VAN DYKE. 

